This year, we invite alumni to help us pilot three new formats for our engagement. We are trialling these as part of a new Religion in Society strand, inviting intellectual engagement with the lived dynamics of faith in our contemporary world.
The following events are all scheduled for Friday 18 September 2026.
11:00 Thinking Together: Faith & AI with Daniel Weiss
Over the past year, Prof Daniel Weiss has cowritten articles for the Harvard Data Science Review and Harvard Divinity Bulletin, probing “one-person dialogues” and faith community relations with AI.
14:30 Not-yet a book: Learning liberalism with Anastasia Badder
Not-yet Book club engages with research partway along the journey from thesis to monograph. Meet Dr Anastasia Badder & learn about her study of a Liberal Jewish congregational school in Luxembourg before it hits the bookshops.
17:00 New Book club: Joy from Sonic Relations with Stefan Williamson Fa
Sample “Three voices of joy” from Dr Stefan Williamson Fa’s 2026 book, Sonic Relations: Devotion and Community in Turkey’s Eastern Borderlands—themes include masculinity, calendar-keeping & fostering intra-communal relations.
Keen to sign up?
Bookings open on 15th July. Use the links below to locate each event on the Alumni Festival website.
What to expect
In keeping with the intellectual culture of Cambridge, participants should take time to look at the set reading before we meet. Copies of the set readings will be sent out by email two weeks in advance. Sessions will include opportunity to reflect on how what you read resonates with or differs from your own experience.
Each event runs for 75 minutes and includes refreshments: coffee and pastries as we Think Together, afternoon tea with the Not-Yet-Book club—and as befits the warm and hospitable scene the book introduces, a selection of snacks and drinks to accompany the pre-dinner discussion.
The per session charge is £20 (includes refreshments) and capacity is limited. A discounted rate (£50) is available for those attending all three sessions.